You are absolutely correct. People don't know what they don't know especially if they've never tried to run a business. A man is worthy of his labor even if some people are too dense to get it.
You presented this information very respectfully. So many people do not understand how much work and effort goes into crafting a musical instrument such as a guitar. Large corporations like Fender and Gibson have been in the business for so long that they are virtually guaranteed sales for guitars whose designs are over 60 years old. It’s really a tough market to break into, especially as music trends move away from guitars to synths and computer software. Great video!
Dude it takes about 5 minutes to learn how to wind single coils and that's why there are so many people making them and selling them for 75$ to 100$ each. It costs me around 10$ to make a pickup then sell it for 80$ and use all the buzzwords like scatterwound, vintage, alnico, period correct blah blah. Works like a charm.
Great video Dylan, thanks for addressing this!! People have to remember, for quality stuff like Dylan Guitars sells, it will cost you money. You can't compare cheap overseas guitar prices to something made in North America with brand name parts like he's shown here. You get what you pay for. Keep up the good work Dylan!!
I agree, The last guitar I built was a double bound sunburst T-style Alder body. AllParts 7 1/4 fat neck with med frets, Kluson tuners, Fender string guide, bone nut, I installed real clay dots, Brandon Wound early 60's pickups, pearl pickguard, Fender Pat Pending vintage bridge with screw type saddles, Fender "Ash Tray" bridge cover, Fender vintage string ferrules, Fender Control Plate, Fender 3way switch, Fender chrome knobs, CTS pots, Orange Drop capacitor, treble bleed, cloth pullback wire, SwitchCraft jack, ElectoSocket, Fender strap pins, waterslide decal and custom neckplate. and this is just parts!! there were hours on the neck edge and frets to get that played in feel and taking out the plastic dots and installing the real aged clay dots. I started with a finished body and only had the neck back and headstock to stain and finish. Can you build a $300 guitar? Yes, but that is what you will get is a $300 guitar! Not counting all my Stew Mac tools and shop equipment. I spent about $800 (+shipping) building a very nice high quality guitar that I wanted for myself to keep! So start building!
I often wondered how even the cheap guitars can be cheap. I found a guitar in the trash and rebuilt it . It cost me some money to do, And I am not including the time I put into it .
I can 100% agree. I built a guitar myself. AAA grade roasted flame maple neck and ebony fretboard, so a little fancier of course. But still like 1000 in materials alone, not counting the worktime. A neck really is a lot of work. More so if you don't CnC. I do really understand now, why luthier guitars are priced 2500 and more.
You are absolutely right. Inventory is your money and it is just sitting there until it is sold. As for Gibson they were one of my companies customers and relative to other manufacturers they were not big league so they didn't get real low prices. They did get quality parts (I don't know what they used them in but I think both guitars and amps). If you want a high quality product you have to pay for it....if you are happy with lower end you can get those and the products are lower end. Still, hopefully, a quality product but not all things are equal.
Good talk Dylan, we forget the points you discuss when we whine about the cost. The question we should ask ourselves is what risk/reward quotient would we want for our own time, investment, and cost. A good point is found in the book of Proverbs 20:14 “It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer: but when he is gone his way, then he boasteth.” We like to boast about the gains we acquire on the back of another. I make it a point to not worry about the price, but rather the value. If the value is present, price is a mute point.
I’m building a guitar right now. I have the benefit of been working as a backliner on tour, and have friends that own a guitar workshop in my hometown. I’m there a couple of days/month to help out and learn and make a little bit of extra money. (I have a dayjob as a sound engineer at the radio) And in doing so I also have the opportunity to setup/mod/build my own guitars, and also get some parts cheaper because the workshop is also a retailer. Still, the guitar I’m building I’ve paid about $1500-1600 just in parts.. Almost all high end stuff though. But still!
Man...I've been building a PGK les paul junior. After I add it up, it will definitely cost more than a gibson. From grainfiller to sanding sealer to nitro paints...It adds up. BUT...in the end it will have a nice mojotone pickup, an emerson wiring kit and a great mojoaxe bridge. It's going to be the guitar I want.
In 1988 a friend of mine decided to start his own music store and sell instruments, he offered to sell me a Gibson LesPaul custom at his cost I borrowed the money from my dad as I was a broke young adult and paid 800 dollars for a white custom les paul. Not sure how much cost is now in 2023 but in 1988 that was a decent chunk of change.
But is anyone really debating why a Gibson costs $1000? I think the perceived problem is the stuff they are charging triple that for, which is aimed at collectors who are daft enough to pay that kind of money. Personally, I don't really have an issue with it - if people are daft enough to buy it then there are obviously enough people who think it is worthwhile. Don't understand it but it is what it is.
I live in UK and my local luthier makes his own guitars from scratch, except maybe from pups, pots etc, but the woodwork including the necks are all made by him, and he sprays them and sets them up, so you have to pay for that. This is custom building isn't it? If you don't want that then go for an off the shelf alternative. If you can, but if you want a guitar made only for you or almost then you pay for the craftmanship.
An unfinished Warmoth roasted maple neck with nut installed is near $300. I have bought 6 from them and everyone needed a small shim. I use stew Mac's shims, expensive yes but better than a piece of sandpaper.
A proper musikraft neck will run 350-450. American made nitro finished body 400-500... that doesnt even start on hardware or know-how that goes into building, setup and troubleshooting that goes into building... sure that's cheaper than 3000-4k for a custom shop strat if you're handy and have a cohesive plan but it's easier to things to go wrong than to go right.
Hi Dylan, great video, only one problem, the background music detracts from your voice, maybe the levels are too high, the music is too in your face... Thanks
I think people are seeing all these 'cheap" guitars coming in and they are comparing them with the higher priced Gibson's or Fenders and wondering why they have to charge so much. Just the wood alone makes the Les Paul more expensive than most others,including Fender. All one has to do is go to a good source for making your own guitar and price just the blank body of a Les Paul style and compare it with a Strat style. On Warmouth the Strat style is about $250 while the Les Paul is about $500. The wood on the Les Paul is all hardwood and it's sometimes 3,4 ,5 pieces glued together plus then you have the added cost of the carved top the Les Paul has that makes it stand out and is soooo beautiful! Then you have the cost of the glued neck of the Les Paul which has to be perfectly fitted and then glued, The Fender or any bolt on you can simply add shims of you need to. Most Les Paul's, Gibsons in fact, come with a rosewood fret board which is more expensive than a Maple one. So once you just look at the foundation of the guitar it's to see why a Les Paul is more expensive, and usually heavier. The thing I always think about when considering a "cheap" guitar is durability. Sure, right out of the box it looks all nice and shiny and pretty and "just like" a more expensive brand. But in 10 years, or less depending on how much you play it, what will that guitar look like? How well did that glued neck on the cheap guitar hold up compared to a Gibson? How did the neck itself hold up after years of tuning and retuning and weather related fluctuation? The electronics do not necessarily matter as much because those things can be swapped out. But... what if someone wants to not HAVE to change the electronics, how long do the cheap guitar pups and switches last? Now I am not a "Gibson/Fender ONLY" type of player. I own several different manufacturer's guitars from Gibson and Fender to Ibanez and even a Galveston Resonator. I can enjoy my cheap guitar just as much as I can enjoy my quality brand ones. But, if I was to ever become a professional gigging/touring/recording musician, yeah you can bet I would be using the higher priced brands.
People make dumb mistakes thinking they're saving something.A local builder I know was given a high end Jazzmaster body, complete, that the guy paid a premium for( basically retail), and he wanted to put a $50 chinese knock off neck and mystery tuners on it Apparently, he preferred the vintage block inlays which you actually can't find on good necks ,- because they are too expensive to make( there's a red flag).Looked great, - sounded and played weak. Most important parts ,- neck, parts that touch the strings( nut, bridge, tuners), - the rest is arguable.Put a great neck( 200+) and good tuners on a $100 used Squier, you've a very good start.
Thank you for this video! I wish more companies were talking about this. Most people just don't understand this. I do not know or understand how the overseas companies do it so cheap...
My build/customization of a bargain basement "Starcaster" (by fender) $99.00...new but i got it for abour $75.00 the body and heck are real full fender sizes cheap wood body maple neck rosewood fingerboard and all the other parts and materials were purchased from amazon , home depot and other discount places and still it amounts to more than $650 in parts and materials not including tools i got to make the build a little easier .
Individually putting a guitar together is a crapshoot at best and I don't really see the cost savings. The consumer, however, often isn't able to 1) compare between component quality (when choosing between guitars), 2) sort out the differences between pickups (everyone seems to make one and they all claim they are the best) 3) recognize when a pickup (or component part) simply is so far below standard that it affects the sonic options/playability of the instrument, or 4) sort out whether newer innovations (for example roasted neck, steel frets) are vital (for example, in 5 years will you regret not having a roasted neck?). The brands out of China (cringe) are actually getting better (see for example Shijie) and at what point are they a viable competitor? While a $1200.00 guitar sounds really expensive, prices (in relative terms) haven't changed when compared to the buying power of a dollar in the 1970's. In 1976, I bought a used Les Paul Deluxe (3 years old) for $350.00. Today, $350 is $1582.12 in purchasing power. You can buy a 2015 Used Les Paul Deluxe today for around $1500.00. What is different is I sincerely believe the quality out here has improved over the last 50 years (especially in the $ 1k and below brands). Once you get up over $1,500 --you're in one of those situations where spending an extra $750 (50% more) puts you in a different bracket and that's a difficult choice also. Hopefully, the days of starting on an unplayable guitar (because of the budget) are over (I think you've gone a great job of proving that with your videos). When you can finally afford a pro-series guitar, choose carefully--your first love (guitar) will be with you forever--it just works out that way.
You can bring costs down by buying raw material and doing everything by yourself. Then at least in Poland you can get full guitar (even using some precut parts ) for as little as 200-300 dollars ( 3x conversion rate to PLN but right now it may be different ) Still you are going to mess up a lot. I am lucky I don't want completely new look on one squire I am rebuilding and I allow for scratches or just paint would be in 30$ area, If I had to rewind pickups it would be a bout the same for just wire, but then magnet (neodymium is cheap so that's an option ) bobbin ( if I have to cut it myself it will be not nice looking though if I use covers it's not much of an issue to make them from any plastic. Then neck is a lot of work though I might borrrow old USSR trick of sticking bunch of C-cross section steel bar into the thing and calling it a day. Then you need to learn how to cast metal to make gears plus cost of geting some cheap worm drive from somewhere or hand file a set of 6 gears and worms. That alone is pain in the... Then you have to find nut bone blanks or plastic or brass and make a nut. Then comes hardware. Without at least way to bend metal sheets it's 40 $ at minimum. So maybe you can build everything in 300$ range but tools alone will be another 300$ so it's not really good idea for one off unless you are good with chisel and that takes a lot of messups or have router ( which I do have so I am a bit better off but I need to learn how to use it) . And it's still not taking in manhours of effort. I spend 8 hours at least just trying to repaint one guitar ( admitedly no setup for this basically had to do it in overgrown wine cellar, so it sucked big time to do proper coat but still I imagine one off production guys won't have wood workshop at their disposal easily ). Then it's matter of knowledge needed. I am going to spend some money and try out some ideas I have but it's basically my hobby and I am fully prepared to stuff to go fully nuclear mistake at any moment. Maybe I will even develop some cheap process for manufacturing pickups or even whole guitars. If I can get it under 200 PLN ( around 70 $ ) I'll count that as a win.
My first fret job took me several hours a day for 3-4 days. It's a lot quicker after the first time where if you are sensible and somewhat timid and take it extra slow. I already had a neck and spent about $150 on a cheap pillar drill, radius cowl thingy, Fret end clipper/pullers, bevel file, triangle taper file etc. The fret wire was only about $14 pre radiused EVO. But the whole refret probably cost me as much as buying a new basic neck from somewhere like Warmoth. It was worth it to me personally. But it's not something I do on a whim for fun. I was lucky that all my prep and slow methodical work plus hard EVO frets made for a pretty level fretjob compatable to off the shelf $500 guitars. So I actually waited about 6 months before doing a proper fret level just in case I ruined all my previous hard work. The affordable diamond crowning file made in the UK was $45 and I got a proper fret end file for another $30 to do a better job of finnishing up. I'm still tweaking my fret ends on a super jumbo fret neck. It takes quite a bit of practice and experience to get good at it and figure out how to make those tall frets feel comfortable and not too much like road bumps when you slide our fingers along the edge of the neck. For me it was a learning experience and worthwhile. BUT I honestly appreciate how much effort goes into that, and what a chore it would be if someone has to do that day in day out during the week. Great video Dylan. I always figured a Les paul probably cost a bit to make. But I never really appreciated why things cost so much till I went and did it myself. I like to know how things I'm passionate about work so doing the odd guitar work is kind of fun. But even my experience of refretting a vintage japanese Les Paul neck cost me about $500 not including labor the first time.
It's not only parts and materials as well as "shop supplies (sand paper, polish and tools. and equipment..etc...) there's also many, many hours and hours of labor (the most valuable aspect involved) to consider as well as all the little and not so little aches and pains in the hands and the rest of the body and other factors I cant think of but will find out thru my attempted build.
Mighty mites are good and they are $120 or so.good frets are important.a good quality solder station and how to solder is very important. Look at guitar teching as a learning experience.
Mighty Mite may be slipping a bit in their neck quality, at least where their P-bass styles are concerned. I purchased two and shipped back a third, and although both are adequate they needed a decent amount of adjustment before finally settling in. Not bad, but not super but it might always have been just a bad run.
@@offbeatbassgear i think any guitar coming from asia ,except japanese , are suspect in their fret metalurgy scrap metal turned into frets soft and will wear out quick! I think there us tons to be said about cheap necks and bodies can be made into top quality for the money. But good high quality components are critical.
Just go to Warmoth and build your dream neck, cut that price in half, and you will still spend at least $500 on building your own guitar if you use quality materials. I plan on making my own body (neck from Warmoth) and installing all of the electronics and I've calculated that I will spend at least $700 -$800 dollars on all materials probably more, not including labor. Totally worth it.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge. You have made me start thinking about a custom guitar. I have issues with my elbows and wrists when play for extended periods of time. I love the sound of my G&L SC-3 but I can play my 2011 Les Paul longer. If I could have my S-style guitar body and tone and the neck profile of my Les Paul, then I would have close to the perfect guitar for me. I also play southern gospel, so the cleaner the tone, the more functional it is for me. It is definitely made me think of getting another guitar...
Although I agree with what you say, there are exceptions. I bought a cheap strat body and neck deal on eBay to have a go at building my first guitar. It only cost me £50. The body was really nice and only need a bit of sanding before I sealed it with Tru Oil. I expected the neck to be poor and was prepared to buy a better one, but damn, it was a great neck, not only did it look awesome, it has some really nice grain patterns on the rosewood fret board, but the frets needed very little finishing (smoothing off the fret ends), and the shape and profile of the neck is as good as any of my Fender strats. But yea, I accept that a professionally built guitar with top end parts will cost at least £800 upwards.
Hi Sir... Boy I am glad I ran across your video.. I have started building guitars and I appreciate your commentary. EVERY THING that you have said is Absolutely TRUE. I am finding that with the guitars that I build.. I usually have a bout 6-7 hundred dollars in just material alone.. I COULD use cheaper materials and I COULD do things different to make things less expensive but I would not be happy doing that.. I take Pride in my builds and I won't skimp... However because of this I have only sold 2 guitars and both of those went to my brother.. Good Video Sir.
Hi Dylan, this is Dylan. I've been watching your stuff for a while now and this neck looks amazing. I want to add it to my parts-caster that I am building. I looked at your paged and didn't see it. Is it on there as an individual item? Did I just not see the listing for where to buy this?
Skill share. How to wind a pickup. start to finish. Maybe not give the specific secrets of one you sell, but one that when finished will be a good base humbucker to work with and change.
$25 for a good fretboard seems really low if you consider Gibson uses ebony. In my experience a decent piece of ebony for making a fretboard is going to run closer to $40 or $50. And ebony eats tools so fast. I know that my equipment isn't industrial grade but even after upgrading I still consider rock maple the upper limit of hardness in a wood I can work with
I've a question though a bit off topic. I've retired a few months to my 27ft camper trailer. I am only using a 220 to 110 reduction to run my utilities for now. I can run Ac etc or heat. After that I must be careful not to trip breaker. So my music may need to be downsized in its hardware to fit this downgrade. I do not want to lose my tones. I am thinking of a processor pedal and a small amp or amp that can be reduced like the katana 50. Then a GT1 or Cheaper processor as I like ambient and blues. My question Is , should that reduce my power better than trying to tie in my truth 2030a behringer studio monitors with each needing power along with then the interface and PC etc? If neither I also have looked at the Amplifi 75. It is all in one and though looping would not work I wonder if the tones would be decent enough as I am not familiar with such a product. Thanks. Hope I have not confused here. Lol. Thanks Dillon for the great content. I may be buying some of your pups for an hss.
Cool, music in a 27 ft Rv! If you have grit power 220 or 110 you should be fine? I run my music rigg off the battery in the Rv with low voltage all the way.. 1) The PA or the studio monitors = I use a car radio with an Amplifier and 4 installed speakers. The Car radio has a) USB input b) Aux in input c) line in input 4) Bluetooth 2) My amp or processor for playing guitar and interface is a Boss Gt 001 that runs of 5 Volt when hooking it up to a Lap top 3) Mixing Platform and control unit or for recording and playback " a simple small Tablet PC, keyboard and monitor which runs of battery for 2-3 hours and can be charged while playing or in breaks Signal Chain: Guitar into Boss Gt001 mono, GT001 into PC via USB, GT001 into Car Radio via Aux in or line in ( adjust in the Gt 001 menu) PC fires the Gt 001 and you run that control program for your guitar and effects on it. PC has Asio drivers and Audacity ( only example) so you can record PC can play back any wav, mp3 or project files for recording or use a flash drive PC can also stream music when Internet is connected to LAN ( or WLAN) The PC if you use it tp play over or for monitoring need to have also an output ( like from mic or mixed mic/ HP jack) to the radio ..which acts as your monitors I run this off 2 batteries and work offgrid with to Solar panels ( 190 Watts) total battery cap of 245 Ah.. Allows me to play 2-5 hours evey day when needed. If you want to improve by some battery power out door speakers, they sound better have the multiple input and you csn play and charge when ever needed Plus you can do a little gig infront your Rv..I.can use the inverter 12 -230 but it may consume more so I use it for coffee cocking or pizza pan cocking.charging Can be made by 12 V to 5 V Adapters which you get cheap and you have plenty of 5 V for charging the PC or just power the Gt 001. My wish is i'd could run 2 Mackies ( 5 series the green ones with blu tooth..so I can send tracks with blue tooth via smart phone and jam to them again the Gt 001 as guit platform So I need to check whether Mackies can run 12 Volt or such..they just sound awesome.. If you work on headphone thats the easiest and less consuming approach..but I know..air needs to be moved Hope I talked about the same topic? Happy Camping
@@rveurope Wow. That's intense awesome set up man. Hahahaha. I'm not as equipped unfortunately. Lol. I worded my power wrong I think. NOT 220. lol. I'm in a Fleetwood Mallard older but like new minus the passed leak nobody told me about until a vacation to my parents one weekend where I had it parked for 10 years uncovered. I know that was stupid. Funny I see your comment now as I just had a heavy downpour and seems a repair on roof I did just leaked a little. I need to seal the outside lip where it folds over. Wind lifted and got some drops in the bedroom. Damnit. This sucks but I'll figure it out. Haha. I JUST got my AC to run now til I get 30amp service ran. I'm coming from an outlet in shed 20amp breaker. The camper was modded by a Uncle for me and he took the batteries. It runs everything on sure power now but only when 30amp service is ran. So I'm 20 amp for now meaning one thing at a time. Man I've bought this thing was one year old new. Now it's old and I have alot to learn about replacing my own neglect storing it all those years. Ac blows cold little Coleman Mach. Central. Has one thing going on I cannot find. Once every 10 minutes or so I see the lights or the ac dim regardless of what I run. Just a nightlight too I saw it happen. I have everything off. And something keeps kicking on no real noise but I hear the draw if I run ac alone. Or a light. Or both. It is like sucking a little bit of amps. I have water pump off as I'm dry now. I use house for the water and showers as it's still parked at my parents old property. Water heater is off pump off. Everything. I dont know what keeps coming on. I heard a little click real low. Then lights get brighter. Then like I said back drawing again. It's hard because there is no DC anymore ...Its been bypassed. I think he said. Also I wonder if it's trying to charge batteries on a cycle or something the converter of I can find the damn thing. Lol. Thanks man. I have amp and all I can run now.
@@robertclarkguitar woow, I was completely off sorry! You got a little leak in your camper by not storing it properly right? Seam in the roof and then water penetrated..you may check whether the affected roof area is wood and eps or rock wool..that would collect the water so I would open it.. If there is a light socket in that area, open it and replace it.( unplug the shore power first) it might be wet corroded with salts that may generate some extra draw over resistance or partical short.. Periodical clicks and more draw may be the thermostat ( if there is one) if this guy gets a signal he will kick something in..cranck it up to full or to null and switch off the ac or heater maybe with a fuse..if that is it the temp doesn' t change you get no signal, so lights stay un affected for a peroid of time.....but if signal comes again.. Another item..there can be the refrigerator kicking in, or a fan in th electrical compartment.. If the inverter / charger is dead, batt disconnected you need to cut the supply line or trip its fuse for a Test( but then you have no light, bad)...this buddy starts every xy time cycle, runs for x H ( Mine does 24 h trickle charge once the voltage would drop below 12 V...maybe just connect a battery to it or look up the battery leads whether they lay in humidity or even on a rock chip plate in that compartment and give you that short? .trickle charge is very low amps so lights would not dim unless a short....if you run shore power 20 amps then now your 12 V system is running? Lights etc still there..so maybe its just a missing battery or a water issue in the area where you got that water..if you say 30 Amps fix it..I am tenting on a resistance or high resistance short...best is to get a wiring diagram or lay down a drawing your self..input, transformer, 12 Volt side how many fuses how many loops.( air, water pump, tanklevel control, refrigerator, roof fan, 12 V outlets, lighting, El stair or toilette flush selenoid or other options) and go over the wires with a multi meter..its not that complex and some videos on you tube show how to check input and out puts on rv main panels or inverters,, converters, transformers...if id be there I would help! Interesting project! If you got further observations let me know, maybe another idea or suggestion would be triggered! Hope its a simple ome you find it!
@@rveurope Hello again! Wow man thank you. Firstly no you're not off I just may have changed the subject. Hahah. When I was typing this last comment prior I had just noticed the leak and decided to ask the extra questions. Hahaha. Yes I know one thing is for sure. You sir are quite literate..That's refreshing. I do NOT meet many around here that speak (type) so detailed, while maintaining factual information in such precise points. I thoroughly thank you for your time and kind possible explanation. Yes I am a musician trying to make that itch for creation a possibilty. The reason BTW , I'm here in this situation is, My youngest of 2 children i had the fortunate privilege to raise alone had just grad and moved out to start her career in my old home town of Biloxi MS. Both my kids grown and I had some health issues , sadly not really proudly, I put off til I made sure they were good and well off. I know I had no more excuses to put off my own care. I was put on a medication that helped mask the many symptoms for years. 8 to be exact, and though my fault ultimately i decided to stop gradually so my specialist can do standard procedures which the med makes difficult. That and i truly let myself go it seems over the years working, not going anywhere but home after. Alas , I made a plan 2 years ago before my daughter moved out. Save a few grand USD, and move out of my apmt (10 years of pretty nice living) to downsize into my camper that at one time caused a huge fight by myself and ex wife. She thought I was stupid and would never use it ..She was partially right. Damn! Hahaha. Well ehos laughing now my now ex and still friends , second ex wife. Hahaha. Anyway. As stated prior I let it sit after purchase. Under a couple of trees. For shade sake i figured that was smart. However that would not be a great idea. Over the years parked there my parents had my extended family stay in it as i told her sure why not? Just clean up after. Well this was done. They did and one day i came to visit and saw branches on the roof. I cleared my parents roof off and saw them on the camper. I went in and saw the water damage ceiling hanging like sagging. I paid my brother to fix it or uncle I think? They patched it the damage was done though. I never did fix the old ceiling and the patch job has a lip lifted over the back door. Like its needing a gutter or needs to be sealed under the outer part along the place one would gutter the rain. It was fine until today ....I had just gotten the power outlet moved from going In the house to the shed outside which was newer 20amp breaker. This seems to run ac without tripping. It ran before but like I said before the damn snake of a weird appliance or something I cannot find is running once n a while. I do hear like a water bubbling sound but I've turned off the breaker to that and wasn't even on on the water pump anyway. As far as fridge etc nothing is on but wall outlets and AC when I need it. I'll take your advice to heart. I'll try to find diagram. I took pics of my box in the camper. The guy that routed it to all sure power only told my mom he did this as a favor as I would enjoy it more as I didn't plan to move it anytime soon. Well he took the batteries lol. I have two lp gas tanks on the hitch and two big wires that I think tied into the batteries when it had them. But all that I thought was bypassed. I'm not sure. I'll check Into that also I do know the switch is off on the water heater and pump. Also I know I have a grey black and fresh tank thing on the wall that is off but I can press the buttons to check rates. Something is sounding like its pumping tiny bits of water or something when I hear that click it's in the area where thefuse box is. Man. It's a pleasure meeting another musician...I have a small channel I upload my progress to on guitar. Learning leads late into life. 30 years drumming too. Miss that. I was writing with my keyboard a while and many vids of those song ideas too on my channel and a couple I solo over. Thanks for the words and info and your valuable time. Most of all thank you for being a kind person. That's great and refreshing ...peace my friend.
@@robertclarkguitar thank you for your update from your Side! peace, good health and best luck in live and with that Camper..it sounds a bit difficult...but isolate that battery cables to avoid short, check the light in the leak area, the click in the El. Box is obviously a relais...the bubbling can come from the water heater, those babys have a feature when cold they start drain, when power off they drain also..but there must be a sort of a valve which you need to put in after such and before refill the water boiler..I check your channel..I do also bit Rv and noise in my free time, ours are grown up and college, I semi retired ( car accident in the US) live here in Germany ( south part near Munic, Stuttgart) and prepare for a easter weekend out camping! Keep me postet may be i can contribute to It! I ll check your old home town on Maps..see where that is?!
Question for you Dylan. Brands like Harley Benton, how are they getting their prices so low? I understand bulk, and overseas labor. However, as you say about material costs alone, how do they get their actual material costs so low in order to create a $130 guitar and make any profit?
I read that a usa custom shop can cost around 500.00 to 600.00 dollers then they bump the price up to over a grand or more. Over seas its was around 300.00 to 400.00 hundred then its 600.00 to 1000.00 retail. Ive built guitsrs with highend parts and uts around 500 to 600 bucks depends on whats going in it but i dont get wholrsale prices either. Would be nice though.
I am building a guitar currently. Winding pickups, wiring, finishing the body, setting it up. I can ASSURE YOU....1200 for one of Dylans guitars is NOTHING compared to what I've spent on equipment, paint, wiring, bridge, neck, body ect. I'm doing it because I like it, not because I'm really wanting to play a guitar that costs 5 grand and plays like one that would be sold on ebay for 18.99. A cheap guitar will end up costing you WAY more in the long run. If you get one you'll either quit playing and throw it away...or...you'll realize it sucks and need to go buy a decent one. Either way, you've lost all that cash for nothing. Advice? Borrow one. Learn the instrument....then buy one. PS...I have some custom Dylan pups in one of my guitars now. Buy some now...they are amazing and a steal at his price point.
Dillon I was looking at your equipment page. The lighting you use. Those studio lights I'm familiar with as I shot for a prestigious studio about 7 years. I am Not familiar with LED, and I wonder If led light source is used if then would still require a Slate shot or manage the white balance per shoot.
I saw one of your videos where you replaced a P90 with one of your handwound pickups and you commented that it cleaned up when you rolled back the volume. Is that really the pickup or the amp you are playing through? Or pedal? Pickups don’t clip.
pickups generate voltage, causing the amp to clip. How they are wound can have a major impact on how and when ... also affecting how they interact with the tone and volume.
Good information. The background music could go. It is distracting and unnecessary. People will give you more credence if you lose the baseball cap and t-shirt.
while i agree with you, i have to say i bought a harley benton kit guitar for 90 euro just to have a little fun, and while the hardware and electronic is pretty much not usable, the neck is really, really good (with a little extra work on the frets) i m really wondering how can it be that cheap...
@@DylanTalksTone but wouldnt then everything from asia fall into that category? I m not here to defend anything, but i mean if you take a squier affinity wich is like 150-200 and a harley benton wich is like 100-150 and the benton is a bit better, that seems more "fair" price-wise if you consider that they have no advertising and are a housebrand from thomann (europe) btw i m not comparing that harley benton neck to a 200+ brandneck - those are clearly much better, i should have said its really good for that price.
@@DylanTalksTone i posted a link to a 195€ affinity but the link is gone, there are some for 200 too, but not cheaper, the cheaper ones i saw were bullets, my bad
it's just wood..dude. ..I used those metal flake spray paint. or you can even use 50 cent arclic paint. it's the CLEAR coat...15-20 coats or More on the chamelone type flakes. You built it up.....Let it dry for one weeks or More. Then wet sand it smooth...up to 1000-1200 grit. The buff ,wax and polish it. The sanding it's sort of a Bietch and gets old quick...building it is easy...the sanding is a bitch or worst than watching paint dry.lmao
Dylan... You don't have to explain why it takes or how much it cost to build a guitar . Just build them and sell them , if they don't what then don't worry.
Friends, Romans, Country People: Use your tone knob(s)! You're missing out. Hey Dylan, when discussing guitar costs, some famous American brandname guitar companies have some of their guitars manufactured overseas. Their production costs are inexpensive. We know this because, those oversea manufactuers take the same products and sell them in America for a profit. They use their own brand names. Also, how many pounds of pickup wire do you have at the end of the year? Man, I want guess your profit on one of those Inspire gtrs. Hey People, when you gonna be a patron to patreon?! I need my monthly opportunity to win prizes :)
Not to mention those cheap guitars are manufactured in China and Indonesia where labor is pennies an hour. I certainly don’t want to work for even America’s minimum wage 😳
Yes and No, LP you are correct part of the issue with Gibson is they for some reason stick to the traditional methods that inflate the cost of the guitar ridiculously, but that is what the consumers/ well prosumers want, because they are the majority of their customers. LP's are just harder to manufacturer because of the characteristics of the guitar. China/Indonesia can make the exact same guitar for $300 or less a Squier/Epiphone is around 100-200$ on materials, practical slave labor, and super cheap hardware parts. You also do have to take into account though the more mainstream and cheaper the guitar is the lower the profit margin made, as you are making profit in volume of sales rather than lower volume higher pricing. You cannot really compete in the same way from a MIM/US/Canada/EU made guitar where the labor costs are a significant portion. Personally I only have a problem when we get to the $1k+ level of guitars and the nut is not Bone/Synthetic Bone/Graphite/Brass/Titanium but some cheap plastic garbage, it cost like $8 for a consumer to buy a graphtech nut the labor is the same as your going to install that el cheapo anyway, so this is obvious market tiering that makes no sense to consumers but some book nerd thought it was a good idea to skimp on a major part of the guitar. Frets are the nightmare, but Plek machines are becoming more common, and even more sophisticated ones that do machining work(similar machine not exactly the same but close) can create a neck in 15min at a level of perfection, grant it that is expensive machinery, but that is the cost of doing business, you don't charge on your products extra tax for your investment and the cost of doing business, that money is a ride off, as like any other tool it allows you to make your products, now the running maint. fees..yes absolutely that needs to be incorporated into the price as they are recurring fees. Alot of business owners have shotty idealisms in capitalism where they are in it to get rich as quickly as possible, and hold onto their copy of Atlas Shrugged like its a bible, Anything you spend initially that allows you to do manufacturing and do your business, is the cost of doing business, that is your investment of good faith into your business that will allow you to profit, there are no such things as guaranteed returns, an investment is a risk, Employees gamble on your success and rely on your ethics and morals, as they invest just as much in the company, just not monetarily but some would say lay more on the line(that we can leave up to philosophy of capitalism and the speculation of sociology symbiotics) No one ever said Guitar companies were smart, I mean they based their business model on the Automotive industry, which failed and keeps failing, frankly speaking because lazy, and greed. I won't even get into dealerships as now they serve no purpose, frankly speaking like guitar shops they only add extra costs. Lets be honest here there is a lot of market tiering from Fender and Gibson, I think they are better than what they once were, but by the same token in some respects its worse look at the comfort carves on an ultra body versus a $1200 strat either MIM/US on any modern design strat they really should have those carves, how much difference really is there in manufacturing cost? Cents dollars? One can argue about 1-2-3 piece bodies and limited quantity of wood that can cause a price increase. But there is a level of where you really have to ask yourself really? I am sure some bean counter can say well this causes us a few thousand due to the extra time needed in the long run, but is it worth the speculation of a product that never existed yet, It's like Sony trying to argue the PS3 cost them billions in lost revenue due to BD players being inflated well beyond what they have never been sold for in the first place and people buying a PS3 versus a BD player no one was ever going to buy in the first place at that price, as literally there is under $1 difference in manufacturing costs(yeah sadly that is the truth, I have done several white paper lectures on the differences). We are also post Job's era marketing where everyone likes to smell the wet farts and ego of the marketing departments.
@@DylanTalksTone Oh I did forget something as well, The retail MSRP margin, depending on what you are buying(Price bracket and level of product) and from what store they have different retail margins based on the items obviously MSRP incorporates a retail markup otherwise they wouldn't exist as a store, so obviously the manufacturing cost is less depending on if its a volume of sales item with a lower margin or a Premium item like a custom shop. An acoustic for $500 you might get $100 knocked off at a store if you pay cash and ask nicely as it probably cost the store around $300 from the manufacturer, Where as Something like lets say the Game of Thrones Strat series from the custom shop they retail about $20k if you offer them $15 they will probably take it as they probably got it from the factory for about $10k and have significantly more overhead. Everyone forgets MSRP is a markup for the retail chains to make money.
Very interesting content...but I wish it didn't have the music running through it. Very distracting. Aren't most people watching your vids for the valuable information? I know I am.
Excellent video is all people see is the cheap crap coming out of China, they don’t understand or care about the actual cost not only parts wood time etc it’s also tools electricty wear and tear insurance etc.
You are absolutely correct. People don't know what they don't know especially if they've never tried to run a business. A man is worthy of his labor even if some people are too dense to get it.
The cost isn't always in parts but also in the labor......time is money...
You presented this information very respectfully. So many people do not understand how much work and effort goes into crafting a musical instrument such as a guitar. Large corporations like Fender and Gibson have been in the business for so long that they are virtually guaranteed sales for guitars whose designs are over 60 years old. It’s really a tough market to break into, especially as music trends move away from guitars to synths and computer software. Great video!
Thank you. This gave me a whole different level of respect and appreciation for a guitar every time I pick one up.
Dude it takes about 5 minutes to learn how to wind single coils and that's why there are so many people making them and selling them for 75$ to 100$ each. It costs me around 10$ to make a pickup then sell it for 80$ and use all the buzzwords like scatterwound, vintage, alnico, period correct blah blah. Works like a charm.
LOL!!!! 🤣
Great video Dylan, thanks for addressing this!! People have to remember, for quality stuff like Dylan Guitars sells, it will cost you money. You can't compare cheap overseas guitar prices to something made in North America with brand name parts like he's shown here. You get what you pay for. Keep up the good work Dylan!!
I agree, The last guitar I built was a double bound sunburst T-style Alder body. AllParts 7 1/4 fat neck with med frets, Kluson tuners, Fender string guide, bone nut, I installed real clay dots, Brandon Wound early 60's pickups, pearl pickguard, Fender Pat Pending vintage bridge with screw type saddles, Fender "Ash Tray" bridge cover, Fender vintage string ferrules, Fender Control Plate, Fender 3way switch, Fender chrome knobs, CTS pots, Orange Drop capacitor, treble bleed, cloth pullback wire, SwitchCraft jack, ElectoSocket, Fender strap pins, waterslide decal and custom neckplate. and this is just parts!! there were hours on the neck edge and frets to get that played in feel and taking out the plastic dots and installing the real aged clay dots. I started with a finished body and only had the neck back and headstock to stain and finish. Can you build a $300 guitar? Yes, but that is what you will get is a $300 guitar! Not counting all my Stew Mac tools and shop equipment. I spent about $800 (+shipping) building a very nice high quality guitar that I wanted for myself to keep! So start building!
I often wondered how even the cheap guitars can be cheap. I found a guitar in the trash and rebuilt it . It cost me some money to do, And I am not including the time I put into it .
I can 100% agree. I built a guitar myself. AAA grade roasted flame maple neck and ebony fretboard, so a little fancier of course. But still like 1000 in materials alone, not counting the worktime. A neck really is a lot of work. More so if you don't CnC. I do really understand now, why luthier guitars are priced 2500 and more.
You are absolutely right. Inventory is your money and it is just sitting there until it is sold. As for Gibson they were one of my companies customers and relative to other manufacturers they were not big league so they didn't get real low prices. They did get quality parts (I don't know what they used them in but I think both guitars and amps). If you want a high quality product you have to pay for it....if you are happy with lower end you can get those and the products are lower end. Still, hopefully, a quality product but not all things are equal.
Good talk Dylan, we forget the points you discuss when we whine about the cost. The question we should ask ourselves is what risk/reward quotient would we want for our own time, investment, and cost. A good point is found in the book of Proverbs 20:14 “It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer: but when he is gone his way, then he boasteth.” We like to boast about the gains we acquire on the back of another. I make it a point to not worry about the price, but rather the value. If the value is present, price is a mute point.
I’m building a guitar right now. I have the benefit of been working as a backliner on tour, and have friends that own a guitar workshop in my hometown. I’m there a couple of days/month to help out and learn and make a little bit of extra money. (I have a dayjob as a sound engineer at the radio)
And in doing so I also have the opportunity to setup/mod/build my own guitars, and also get some parts cheaper because the workshop is also a retailer.
Still, the guitar I’m building I’ve paid about $1500-1600 just in parts.. Almost all high end stuff though. But still!
Man...I've been building a PGK les paul junior.
After I add it up, it will definitely cost more than a gibson. From grainfiller to sanding sealer to nitro paints...It adds up.
BUT...in the end it will have a nice mojotone pickup, an emerson wiring kit and a great mojoaxe bridge.
It's going to be the guitar I want.
In 1988 a friend of mine decided to start his own music store and sell instruments, he offered to sell me a Gibson LesPaul custom at his cost
I borrowed the money from my dad as I was a broke young adult and paid 800 dollars for a white custom les paul. Not sure how much cost is now in 2023 but in 1988 that was a decent chunk of change.
I build a few, and it ain't cheap like people may think, can easily be in the $500 range if you get a custom pick up
But is anyone really debating why a Gibson costs $1000? I think the perceived problem is the stuff they are charging triple that for, which is aimed at collectors who are daft enough to pay that kind of money.
Personally, I don't really have an issue with it - if people are daft enough to buy it then there are obviously enough people who think it is worthwhile. Don't understand it but it is what it is.
I live in UK and my local luthier makes his own guitars from scratch, except maybe from pups, pots etc, but the woodwork including the necks are all made by him, and he sprays them and sets them up, so you have to pay for that. This is custom building isn't it? If you don't want that then go for an off the shelf alternative. If you can, but if you want a guitar made only for you or almost then you pay for the craftmanship.
An unfinished Warmoth roasted maple neck with nut installed is near $300. I have bought 6 from them and everyone needed a small shim. I use stew Mac's shims, expensive yes but better than a piece of sandpaper.
A proper musikraft neck will run 350-450. American made nitro finished body 400-500... that doesnt even start on hardware or know-how that goes into building, setup and troubleshooting that goes into building... sure that's cheaper than 3000-4k for a custom shop strat if you're handy and have a cohesive plan but it's easier to things to go wrong than to go right.
Hi Dylan, great video, only one problem, the background music detracts from your voice, maybe the levels are too high, the music is too in your face... Thanks
I think people are seeing all these 'cheap" guitars coming in and they are comparing them with the higher priced Gibson's or Fenders and wondering why they have to charge so much.
Just the wood alone makes the Les Paul more expensive than most others,including Fender. All one has to do is go to a good source for making your own guitar and price just the blank body of a Les Paul style and compare it with a Strat style. On Warmouth the Strat style is about $250 while the Les Paul is about $500. The wood on the Les Paul is all hardwood and it's sometimes 3,4 ,5 pieces glued together plus then you have the added cost of the carved top the Les Paul has that makes it stand out and is soooo beautiful! Then you have the cost of the glued neck of the Les Paul which has to be perfectly fitted and then glued, The Fender or any bolt on you can simply add shims of you need to. Most Les Paul's, Gibsons in fact, come with a rosewood fret board which is more expensive than a Maple one. So once you just look at the foundation of the guitar it's to see why a Les Paul is more expensive, and usually heavier.
The thing I always think about when considering a "cheap" guitar is durability. Sure, right out of the box it looks all nice and shiny and pretty and "just like" a more expensive brand. But in 10 years, or less depending on how much you play it, what will that guitar look like? How well did that glued neck on the cheap guitar hold up compared to a Gibson? How did the neck itself hold up after years of tuning and retuning and weather related fluctuation? The electronics do not necessarily matter as much because those things can be swapped out. But... what if someone wants to not HAVE to change the electronics, how long do the cheap guitar pups and switches last?
Now I am not a "Gibson/Fender ONLY" type of player. I own several different manufacturer's guitars from Gibson and Fender to Ibanez and even a Galveston Resonator. I can enjoy my cheap guitar just as much as I can enjoy my quality brand ones. But, if I was to ever become a professional gigging/touring/recording musician, yeah you can bet I would be using the higher priced brands.
People make dumb mistakes thinking they're saving something.A local builder I know was given a high end Jazzmaster body, complete, that the guy paid a premium for( basically retail), and he wanted to put a $50 chinese knock off neck and mystery tuners on it Apparently, he preferred the vintage block inlays which you actually can't find on good necks ,- because they are too expensive to make( there's a red flag).Looked great, - sounded and played weak.
Most important parts ,- neck, parts that touch the strings( nut, bridge, tuners), - the rest is arguable.Put a great neck( 200+) and good tuners on a $100 used Squier, you've a very good start.
Thank you for this video! I wish more companies were talking about this. Most people just don't understand this. I do not know or understand how the overseas companies do it so cheap...
Because their guy thats been there 25 years doesn't make $75/hr 🤷♂️ he makes $1.75/hr
I wish I could make 250 - 400 to paint a guitar and I know why! Right paint isn't cheap .
My build/customization of a bargain basement "Starcaster" (by fender) $99.00...new but i got it for abour $75.00 the body and heck are real full fender sizes cheap wood body maple neck rosewood fingerboard and all the other parts and materials were purchased from amazon , home depot and other discount places and still it amounts to more than $650 in parts and materials not including tools i got to make the build a little easier .
Individually putting a guitar together is a crapshoot at best and I don't really see the cost savings. The consumer, however, often isn't able to 1) compare between component quality (when choosing between guitars), 2) sort out the differences between pickups (everyone seems to make one and they all claim they are the best) 3) recognize when a pickup (or component part) simply is so far below standard that it affects the sonic options/playability of the instrument, or 4) sort out whether newer innovations (for example roasted neck, steel frets) are vital (for example, in 5 years will you regret not having a roasted neck?). The brands out of China (cringe) are actually getting better (see for example Shijie) and at what point are they a viable competitor? While a $1200.00 guitar sounds really expensive, prices (in relative terms) haven't changed when compared to the buying power of a dollar in the 1970's. In 1976, I bought a used Les Paul Deluxe (3 years old) for $350.00. Today, $350 is $1582.12 in purchasing power. You can buy a 2015 Used Les Paul Deluxe today for around $1500.00. What is different is I sincerely believe the quality out here has improved over the last 50 years (especially in the $ 1k and below brands). Once you get up over $1,500 --you're in one of those situations where spending an extra $750 (50% more) puts you in a different bracket and that's a difficult choice also. Hopefully, the days of starting on an unplayable guitar (because of the budget) are over (I think you've gone a great job of proving that with your videos). When you can finally afford a pro-series guitar, choose carefully--your first love (guitar) will be with you forever--it just works out that way.
6:05 those sick descriptions
You can bring costs down by buying raw material and doing everything by yourself. Then at least in Poland you can get full guitar (even using some precut parts ) for as little as 200-300 dollars ( 3x conversion rate to PLN but right now it may be different ) Still you are going to mess up a lot. I am lucky I don't want completely new look on one squire I am rebuilding and I allow for scratches or just paint would be in 30$ area, If I had to rewind pickups it would be a bout the same for just wire, but then magnet (neodymium is cheap so that's an option ) bobbin ( if I have to cut it myself it will be not nice looking though if I use covers it's not much of an issue to make them from any plastic. Then neck is a lot of work though I might borrrow old USSR trick of sticking bunch of C-cross section steel bar into the thing and calling it a day. Then you need to learn how to cast metal to make gears plus cost of geting some cheap worm drive from somewhere or hand file a set of 6 gears and worms. That alone is pain in the... Then you have to find nut bone blanks or plastic or brass and make a nut. Then comes hardware. Without at least way to bend metal sheets it's 40 $ at minimum. So maybe you can build everything in 300$ range but tools alone will be another 300$ so it's not really good idea for one off unless you are good with chisel and that takes a lot of messups or have router ( which I do have so I am a bit better off but I need to learn how to use it) . And it's still not taking in manhours of effort. I spend 8 hours at least just trying to repaint one guitar ( admitedly no setup for this basically had to do it in overgrown wine cellar, so it sucked big time to do proper coat but still I imagine one off production guys won't have wood workshop at their disposal easily ). Then it's matter of knowledge needed. I am going to spend some money and try out some ideas I have but it's basically my hobby and I am fully prepared to stuff to go fully nuclear mistake at any moment. Maybe I will even develop some cheap process for manufacturing pickups or even whole guitars. If I can get it under 200 PLN ( around 70 $ ) I'll count that as a win.
My first fret job took me several hours a day for 3-4 days. It's a lot quicker after the first time where if you are sensible and somewhat timid and take it extra slow. I already had a neck and spent about $150 on a cheap pillar drill, radius cowl thingy, Fret end clipper/pullers, bevel file, triangle taper file etc. The fret wire was only about $14 pre radiused EVO. But the whole refret probably cost me as much as buying a new basic neck from somewhere like Warmoth.
It was worth it to me personally. But it's not something I do on a whim for fun. I was lucky that all my prep and slow methodical work plus hard EVO frets made for a pretty level fretjob compatable to off the shelf $500 guitars. So I actually waited about 6 months before doing a proper fret level just in case I ruined all my previous hard work. The affordable diamond crowning file made in the UK was $45 and I got a proper fret end file for another $30 to do a better job of finnishing up. I'm still tweaking my fret ends on a super jumbo fret neck. It takes quite a bit of practice and experience to get good at it and figure out how to make those tall frets feel comfortable and not too much like road bumps when you slide our fingers along the edge of the neck.
For me it was a learning experience and worthwhile. BUT I honestly appreciate how much effort goes into that, and what a chore it would be if someone has to do that day in day out during the week.
Great video Dylan. I always figured a Les paul probably cost a bit to make. But I never really appreciated why things cost so much till I went and did it myself. I like to know how things I'm passionate about work so doing the odd guitar work is kind of fun. But even my experience of refretting a vintage japanese Les Paul neck cost me about $500 not including labor the first time.
It's not only parts and materials as well as "shop supplies (sand paper, polish and tools. and equipment..etc...) there's also many, many hours and hours of labor (the most valuable aspect involved) to consider as well as all the little and not so little aches and pains in the hands and the rest of the body and other factors I cant think of but will find out thru my attempted build.
dont get me wrong i love your videos, but this did give me a good laugh.
Mighty mites are good and they are $120 or so.good frets are important.a good quality solder station and how to solder is very important. Look at guitar teching as a learning experience.
Mighty Mite may be slipping a bit in their neck quality, at least where their P-bass styles are concerned. I purchased two and shipped back a third, and although both are adequate they needed a decent amount of adjustment before finally settling in. Not bad, but not super but it might always have been just a bad run.
@@offbeatbassgear i think any guitar coming from asia ,except japanese , are suspect in their fret metalurgy scrap metal turned into frets soft and will wear out quick! I think there us tons to be said about cheap necks and bodies can be made into top quality for the money. But good high quality components are critical.
Mine was pretty good but needed a fret level
Mighty mite necks are made in China
Just go to Warmoth and build your dream neck, cut that price in half, and you will still spend at least $500 on building your own guitar if you use quality materials. I plan on making my own body (neck from Warmoth) and installing all of the electronics and I've calculated that I will spend at least $700 -$800 dollars on all materials probably more, not including labor. Totally worth it.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge. You have made me start thinking about a custom guitar. I have issues with my elbows and wrists when play for extended periods of time. I love the sound of my G&L SC-3 but I can play my 2011 Les Paul longer. If I could have my S-style guitar body and tone and the neck profile of my Les Paul, then I would have close to the perfect guitar for me. I also play southern gospel, so the cleaner the tone, the more functional it is for me. It is definitely made me think of getting another guitar...
Although I agree with what you say, there are exceptions. I bought a cheap strat body and neck deal on eBay to have a go at building my first guitar. It only cost me £50. The body was really nice and only need a bit of sanding before I sealed it with Tru Oil. I expected the neck to be poor and was prepared to buy a better one, but damn, it was a great neck, not only did it look awesome, it has some really nice grain patterns on the rosewood fret board, but the frets needed very little finishing (smoothing off the fret ends), and the shape and profile of the neck is as good as any of my Fender strats. But yea, I accept that a professionally built guitar with top end parts will cost at least £800 upwards.
Hi Sir... Boy I am glad I ran across your video.. I have started building guitars and I appreciate your commentary. EVERY THING that you have said is Absolutely TRUE. I am finding that with the guitars that I build.. I usually have a bout 6-7 hundred dollars in just material alone.. I COULD use cheaper materials and I COULD do things different to make things less expensive but I would not be happy doing that.. I take Pride in my builds and I won't skimp... However because of this I have only sold 2 guitars and both of those went to my brother.. Good Video Sir.
Hi Dylan, this is Dylan. I've been watching your stuff for a while now and this neck looks amazing. I want to add it to my parts-caster that I am building. I looked at your paged and didn't see it. Is it on there as an individual item? Did I just not see the listing for where to buy this?
Skill share. How to wind a pickup. start to finish. Maybe not give the specific secrets of one you sell, but one that when finished will be a good base humbucker to work with and change.
What's up with the overly loud music bed? Distracting
$25 for a good fretboard seems really low if you consider Gibson uses ebony. In my experience a decent piece of ebony for making a fretboard is going to run closer to $40 or $50. And ebony eats tools so fast. I know that my equipment isn't industrial grade but even after upgrading I still consider rock maple the upper limit of hardness in a wood I can work with
At scale ebony is cheaper. But yeah... you are right. The tools are tough too
I've a question though a bit off topic.
I've retired a few months to my 27ft camper trailer. I am only using a 220 to 110 reduction to run my utilities for now. I can run Ac etc or heat. After that I must be careful not to trip breaker. So my music may need to be downsized in its hardware to fit this downgrade. I do not want to lose my tones. I am thinking of a processor pedal and a small amp or amp that can be reduced like the katana 50. Then a GT1 or Cheaper processor as I like ambient and blues. My question Is , should that reduce my power better than trying to tie in my truth 2030a behringer studio monitors with each needing power along with then the interface and PC etc? If neither I also have looked at the Amplifi 75. It is all in one and though looping would not work I wonder if the tones would be decent enough as I am not familiar with such a product. Thanks. Hope I have not confused here. Lol.
Thanks Dillon for the great content. I may be buying some of your pups for an hss.
Cool, music in a 27 ft Rv! If you have grit power 220 or 110 you should be fine? I run my music rigg off the battery in the Rv with low voltage all the way..
1) The PA or the studio monitors = I use a car radio with an Amplifier and 4 installed speakers. The Car radio has a) USB input b) Aux in input c) line in input 4) Bluetooth
2) My amp or processor for playing guitar and interface is a Boss Gt 001 that runs of 5 Volt when hooking it up to a Lap top
3) Mixing Platform and control unit or for recording and playback " a simple small Tablet PC, keyboard and monitor which runs of battery for 2-3 hours and can be charged while playing or in breaks
Signal Chain: Guitar into Boss Gt001 mono, GT001 into PC via USB, GT001 into Car Radio via Aux in or line in ( adjust in the Gt 001 menu)
PC fires the Gt 001 and you run that control program for your guitar and effects on it.
PC has Asio drivers and Audacity ( only example) so you can record
PC can play back any wav, mp3 or project files for recording or use a flash drive
PC can also stream music when Internet is connected to LAN ( or WLAN)
The PC if you use it tp play over or for monitoring need to have also an output ( like from mic or mixed mic/ HP jack) to the radio
..which acts as your monitors
I run this off 2 batteries and work offgrid with to Solar panels ( 190 Watts) total battery cap of 245 Ah.. Allows me to play 2-5 hours evey day when needed.
If you want to improve by some battery power out door speakers, they sound better have the multiple input and you csn play and charge when ever needed
Plus you can do a little gig infront your Rv..I.can use the inverter 12 -230 but it may consume more so I use it for coffee cocking or pizza pan cocking.charging
Can be made by 12 V to 5 V Adapters which you get cheap and you have plenty of 5 V for charging the PC or just power the Gt 001.
My wish is i'd could run 2 Mackies ( 5 series the green ones with blu tooth..so I can send tracks with blue tooth via smart phone and jam to them again the Gt 001 as guit platform
So I need to check whether Mackies can run 12 Volt or such..they just sound awesome..
If you work on headphone thats the easiest and less consuming approach..but I know..air needs to be moved
Hope I talked about the same topic? Happy Camping
@@rveurope Wow. That's intense awesome set up man. Hahahaha. I'm not as equipped unfortunately. Lol. I worded my power wrong I think. NOT 220. lol. I'm in a Fleetwood Mallard older but like new minus the passed leak nobody told me about until a vacation to my parents one weekend where I had it parked for 10 years uncovered. I know that was stupid. Funny I see your comment now as I just had a heavy downpour and seems a repair on roof I did just leaked a little. I need to seal the outside lip where it folds over. Wind lifted and got some drops in the bedroom. Damnit. This sucks but I'll figure it out. Haha. I JUST got my AC to run now til I get 30amp service ran. I'm coming from an outlet in shed 20amp breaker. The camper was modded by a Uncle for me and he took the batteries. It runs everything on sure power now but only when 30amp service is ran. So I'm 20 amp for now meaning one thing at a time. Man I've bought this thing was one year old new. Now it's old and I have alot to learn about replacing my own neglect storing it all those years. Ac blows cold little Coleman Mach. Central. Has one thing going on I cannot find. Once every 10 minutes or so I see the lights or the ac dim regardless of what I run. Just a nightlight too I saw it happen. I have everything off. And something keeps kicking on no real noise but I hear the draw if I run ac alone. Or a light. Or both. It is like sucking a little bit of amps. I have water pump off as I'm dry now. I use house for the water and showers as it's still parked at my parents old property. Water heater is off pump off. Everything. I dont know what keeps coming on. I heard a little click real low. Then lights get brighter. Then like I said back drawing again. It's hard because there is no DC anymore ...Its been bypassed. I think he said. Also I wonder if it's trying to charge batteries on a cycle or something the converter of I can find the damn thing. Lol. Thanks man. I have amp and all I can run now.
@@robertclarkguitar woow, I was completely off sorry! You got a little leak in your camper by not storing it properly right? Seam in the roof and then water penetrated..you may check
whether the affected roof area is wood and eps or rock wool..that would collect the water so I would open it..
If there is a light socket in that area, open it and replace it.( unplug the shore power first) it might be wet corroded with salts that may generate some extra draw over resistance or partical short..
Periodical clicks and more draw may be the thermostat ( if there is one) if this guy gets a signal he will kick something in..cranck it up to full or to null and switch off the ac or heater maybe with a fuse..if that is it the temp doesn' t change you get no signal, so lights stay un affected for a peroid of time.....but if signal comes again.. Another item..there can be the refrigerator kicking in, or a fan in th electrical compartment..
If the inverter / charger is dead, batt disconnected you need to cut the supply line or trip its fuse for a Test( but then you have no light, bad)...this buddy starts every xy time cycle, runs for x H ( Mine does 24 h trickle charge once the voltage would drop below 12 V...maybe just connect a battery to it or look up the battery leads whether they lay in humidity or even on a rock chip plate in that compartment and give you that short? .trickle charge is very low amps so lights would not dim unless a short....if you run shore power 20 amps then now your 12 V system is running? Lights etc still there..so maybe its just a missing battery or a water issue in the area where you got that water..if you say 30 Amps fix it..I am tenting on a resistance or high resistance short...best is to get a wiring diagram or lay down a drawing your self..input, transformer, 12 Volt side how many fuses how many loops.( air, water pump, tanklevel control, refrigerator, roof fan, 12 V outlets, lighting, El stair or toilette flush selenoid or other options) and go over the wires with a multi meter..its not that complex and some videos on you tube show how to check input and out puts on rv main panels or inverters,, converters, transformers...if id be there I would help! Interesting project! If you got further observations let me know, maybe another idea or suggestion would be triggered! Hope its a simple ome you find it!
@@rveurope Hello again! Wow man thank you. Firstly no you're not off I just may have changed the subject. Hahah. When I was typing this last comment prior I had just noticed the leak and decided to ask the extra questions. Hahaha. Yes I know one thing is for sure. You sir are quite literate..That's refreshing. I do NOT meet many around here that speak (type) so detailed, while maintaining factual information in such precise points. I thoroughly thank you for your time and kind possible explanation. Yes I am a musician trying to make that itch for creation a possibilty. The reason BTW , I'm here in this situation is, My youngest of 2 children i had the fortunate privilege to raise alone had just grad and moved out to start her career in my old home town of Biloxi MS. Both my kids grown and I had some health issues , sadly not really proudly, I put off til I made sure they were good and well off. I know I had no more excuses to put off my own care. I was put on a medication that helped mask the many symptoms for years. 8 to be exact, and though my fault ultimately i decided to stop gradually so my specialist can do standard procedures which the med makes difficult. That and i truly let myself go it seems over the years working, not going anywhere but home after.
Alas , I made a plan 2 years ago before my daughter moved out. Save a few grand USD, and move out of my apmt (10 years of pretty nice living) to downsize into my camper that at one time caused a huge fight by myself and ex wife. She thought I was stupid and would never use it ..She was partially right. Damn! Hahaha. Well ehos laughing now my now ex and still friends , second ex wife. Hahaha. Anyway. As stated prior I let it sit after purchase. Under a couple of trees. For shade sake i figured that was smart. However that would not be a great idea. Over the years parked there my parents had my extended family stay in it as i told her sure why not? Just clean up after. Well this was done. They did and one day i came to visit and saw branches on the roof. I cleared my parents roof off and saw them on the camper. I went in and saw the water damage ceiling hanging like sagging. I paid my brother to fix it or uncle I think? They patched it the damage was done though. I never did fix the old ceiling and the patch job has a lip lifted over the back door. Like its needing a gutter or needs to be sealed under the outer part along the place one would gutter the rain. It was fine until today ....I had just gotten the power outlet moved from going In the house to the shed outside which was newer 20amp breaker. This seems to run ac without tripping. It ran before but like I said before the damn snake of a weird appliance or something I cannot find is running once n a while. I do hear like a water bubbling sound but I've turned off the breaker to that and wasn't even on on the water pump anyway. As far as fridge etc nothing is on but wall outlets and AC when I need it. I'll take your advice to heart. I'll try to find diagram. I took pics of my box in the camper. The guy that routed it to all sure power only told my mom he did this as a favor as I would enjoy it more as I didn't plan to move it anytime soon. Well he took the batteries lol. I have two lp gas tanks on the hitch and two big wires that I think tied into the batteries when it had them. But all that I thought was bypassed. I'm not sure. I'll check Into that also I do know the switch is off on the water heater and pump. Also I know I have a grey black and fresh tank thing on the wall that is off but I can press the buttons to check rates.
Something is sounding like its pumping tiny bits of water or something when I hear that click it's in the area where thefuse box is.
Man. It's a pleasure meeting another musician...I have a small channel I upload my progress to on guitar. Learning leads late into life. 30 years drumming too. Miss that. I was writing with my keyboard a while and many vids of those song ideas too on my channel and a couple I solo over. Thanks for the words and info and your valuable time. Most of all thank you for being a kind person. That's great and refreshing ...peace my friend.
@@robertclarkguitar thank you for your update from your Side! peace, good health and best luck in live and with that Camper..it sounds a bit difficult...but isolate that battery cables to avoid short, check the light in the leak area, the click in the El. Box is obviously a relais...the bubbling can come from the water heater, those babys have a feature when cold they start drain, when power off they drain also..but there must be a sort of a valve which you need to put in after such and before refill the water boiler..I check your channel..I do also bit Rv and noise in my free time, ours are grown up and college, I semi retired ( car accident in the US) live here in Germany ( south part near Munic, Stuttgart) and prepare for a easter weekend out camping! Keep me postet may be i can contribute to It! I ll check your old home town on Maps..see where that is?!
I built a guitar from scratch with an old retired luthier down my road. I assure you that it doesn't take mere hours.
Question for you Dylan. Brands like Harley Benton, how are they getting their prices so low? I understand bulk, and overseas labor. However, as you say about material costs alone, how do they get their actual material costs so low in order to create a $130 guitar and make any profit?
You said it. Overseas labor and materials from Asia. Then buying TONS at a time.
@@DylanTalksTone Thank you for the reply. I love your channel. I've learned quite a lot from it!
Good topic, refreshingly to the point. The music is very distracting in my opinion. Just an opinion.
Are you still doing guitars??
I read that a usa custom shop can cost around 500.00 to 600.00 dollers then they bump the price up to over a grand or more. Over seas its was around 300.00 to 400.00 hundred then its 600.00 to 1000.00 retail. Ive built guitsrs with highend parts and uts around 500 to 600 bucks depends on whats going in it but i dont get wholrsale prices either. Would be nice though.
I am building a guitar currently. Winding pickups, wiring, finishing the body, setting it up. I can ASSURE YOU....1200 for one of Dylans guitars is NOTHING compared to what I've spent on equipment, paint, wiring, bridge, neck, body ect. I'm doing it because I like it, not because I'm really wanting to play a guitar that costs 5 grand and plays like one that would be sold on ebay for 18.99. A cheap guitar will end up costing you WAY more in the long run. If you get one you'll either quit playing and throw it away...or...you'll realize it sucks and need to go buy a decent one. Either way, you've lost all that cash for nothing. Advice? Borrow one. Learn the instrument....then buy one. PS...I have some custom Dylan pups in one of my guitars now. Buy some now...they are amazing and a steal at his price point.
god damn that music is intense, must be to show that the truth is hard xD
Dillon I was looking at your equipment page. The lighting you use. Those studio lights I'm familiar with as I shot for a prestigious studio about 7 years. I am Not familiar with LED, and I wonder If led light source is used if then would still require a Slate shot or manage the white balance per shoot.
I purchased a Glarry telecaster to modify.
What do you think I should replace to improve it?
Thanks
sounds totally reasonable to me...personally I couldnt afford one right now because Im 16..but maybe one day
I saw one of your videos where you replaced a P90 with one of your handwound pickups and you commented that it cleaned up when you rolled back the volume. Is that really the pickup or the amp you are playing through? Or pedal? Pickups don’t clip.
pickups generate voltage, causing the amp to clip. How they are wound can have a major impact on how and when ... also affecting how they interact with the tone and volume.
DylanTalksTone thanks
When I talk about how much it costs its about ME building it, not a company. I've built a guitar for 300 bux before so idk homies.
Good information. The background music could go. It is distracting and unnecessary. People will give you more credence if you lose the baseball cap and t-shirt.
Lol you must be new here
@@DylanTalksTone He's right, though.
while i agree with you, i have to say i bought a harley benton kit guitar for 90 euro just to have a little fun, and while the hardware and electronic is pretty much not usable, the neck is really, really good (with a little extra work on the frets) i m really wondering how can it be that cheap...
Pretty simple. Slave labor, zero ethics, human rights violations…. Etc.
@@DylanTalksTone but wouldnt then everything from asia fall into that category? I m not here to defend anything, but i mean if you take a squier affinity wich is like 150-200 and a harley benton wich is like 100-150 and the benton is a bit better, that seems more "fair" price-wise if you consider that they have no advertising and are a housebrand from thomann (europe) btw i m not comparing that harley benton neck to a 200+ brandneck - those are clearly much better, i should have said its really good for that price.
Try to find a squier affinity for that money number one….
@@DylanTalksTone i posted a link to a 195€ affinity but the link is gone, there are some for 200 too, but not cheaper, the cheaper ones i saw were bullets, my bad
$1149 for a custom built guitar with custom wound PUs is NOT expensive.
perfect
They can build it for $600 in parts but that doesn't include the labor of these skilled craftsmen. That's where the cost comes from.
How do you make metal flake/sparkle or chrome finish on a guitar?
it's just wood..dude. ..I used those metal flake spray paint.
or you can even use 50 cent arclic paint.
it's the CLEAR coat...15-20 coats or More on the chamelone type flakes.
You built it up.....Let it dry for one weeks or More.
Then wet sand it smooth...up to 1000-1200 grit.
The buff ,wax and polish it. The sanding it's sort of a Bietch and gets old
quick...building it is easy...the sanding is a bitch or worst than watching paint dry.lmao
Well, this is logic stuff... Not sure why you needed to make a video about it?
People ask about this subject a lot actually.
Really? That's amazing.
Dylan... You don't have to explain why it takes or how much it cost to build a guitar . Just build them and sell them , if they don't what then don't worry.
Lol I dont care
How much they cost. I will pay for it if I like it, but for some reason people wanted to know.... probably because they are cheap
@@DylanTalksTone Unsubscribed, I'm probably one of those "cheap" people
Friends, Romans, Country People: Use your tone knob(s)! You're missing out.
Hey Dylan, when discussing guitar costs, some famous American brandname guitar companies have some of their guitars manufactured overseas. Their production costs are inexpensive. We know this because, those oversea manufactuers take the same products and sell them in America for a profit. They use their own brand names.
Also, how many pounds of pickup wire do you have at the end of the year? Man, I want guess your profit on one of those Inspire gtrs.
Hey People, when you gonna be a patron to patreon?! I need my monthly opportunity to win prizes :)
The risk/reward looks terrible to investors I'd imagine
Is that background music really necessary? :-)
Is this comment really neccessary?
@@DylanTalksTone Ok, sir... one unsubscribe. Cheers!
@@michaelogden5958 thanks for watching while you were here.
Not to mention those cheap guitars are manufactured in China and Indonesia where labor is pennies an hour. I certainly don’t want to work for even America’s minimum wage 😳
Good info Dylan. Music was too loud.
Yes and No,
LP you are correct part of the issue with Gibson is they for some reason stick to the traditional methods that inflate the cost of the guitar ridiculously, but that is what the consumers/ well prosumers want, because they are the majority of their customers. LP's are just harder to manufacturer because of the characteristics of the guitar.
China/Indonesia can make the exact same guitar for $300 or less a Squier/Epiphone is around 100-200$ on materials, practical slave labor, and super cheap hardware parts. You also do have to take into account though the more mainstream and cheaper the guitar is the lower the profit margin made, as you are making profit in volume of sales rather than lower volume higher pricing.
You cannot really compete in the same way from a MIM/US/Canada/EU made guitar where the labor costs are a significant portion.
Personally I only have a problem when we get to the $1k+ level of guitars and the nut is not Bone/Synthetic Bone/Graphite/Brass/Titanium but some cheap plastic garbage, it cost like $8 for a consumer to buy a graphtech nut the labor is the same as your going to install that el cheapo anyway, so this is obvious market tiering that makes no sense to consumers but some book nerd thought it was a good idea to skimp on a major part of the guitar.
Frets are the nightmare, but Plek machines are becoming more common, and even more sophisticated ones that do machining work(similar machine not exactly the same but close) can create a neck in 15min at a level of perfection, grant it that is expensive machinery, but that is the cost of doing business, you don't charge on your products extra tax for your investment and the cost of doing business, that money is a ride off, as like any other tool it allows you to make your products, now the running maint. fees..yes absolutely that needs to be incorporated into the price as they are recurring fees. Alot of business owners have shotty idealisms in capitalism where they are in it to get rich as quickly as possible, and hold onto their copy of Atlas Shrugged like its a bible, Anything you spend initially that allows you to do manufacturing and do your business, is the cost of doing business, that is your investment of good faith into your business that will allow you to profit, there are no such things as guaranteed returns, an investment is a risk, Employees gamble on your success and rely on your ethics and morals, as they invest just as much in the company, just not monetarily but some would say lay more on the line(that we can leave up to philosophy of capitalism and the speculation of sociology symbiotics)
No one ever said Guitar companies were smart, I mean they based their business model on the Automotive industry, which failed and keeps failing, frankly speaking because lazy, and greed. I won't even get into dealerships as now they serve no purpose, frankly speaking like guitar shops they only add extra costs.
Lets be honest here there is a lot of market tiering from Fender and Gibson, I think they are better than what they once were, but by the same token in some respects its worse look at the comfort carves on an ultra body versus a $1200 strat either MIM/US on any modern design strat they really should have those carves, how much difference really is there in manufacturing cost? Cents dollars? One can argue about 1-2-3 piece bodies and limited quantity of wood that can cause a price increase. But there is a level of where you really have to ask yourself really? I am sure some bean counter can say well this causes us a few thousand due to the extra time needed in the long run, but is it worth the speculation of a product that never existed yet, It's like Sony trying to argue the PS3 cost them billions in lost revenue due to BD players being inflated well beyond what they have never been sold for in the first place and people buying a PS3 versus a BD player no one was ever going to buy in the first place at that price, as literally there is under $1 difference in manufacturing costs(yeah sadly that is the truth, I have done several white paper lectures on the differences). We are also post Job's era marketing where everyone likes to smell the wet farts and ego of the marketing departments.
That’s a lot of words…
@@DylanTalksTone Oh I did forget something as well, The retail MSRP margin, depending on what you are buying(Price bracket and level of product) and from what store they have different retail margins based on the items obviously MSRP incorporates a retail markup otherwise they wouldn't exist as a store, so obviously the manufacturing cost is less depending on if its a volume of sales item with a lower margin or a Premium item like a custom shop. An acoustic for $500 you might get $100 knocked off at a store if you pay cash and ask nicely as it probably cost the store around $300 from the manufacturer, Where as Something like lets say the Game of Thrones Strat series from the custom shop they retail about $20k if you offer them $15 they will probably take it as they probably got it from the factory for about $10k and have significantly more overhead.
Everyone forgets MSRP is a markup for the retail chains to make money.
Yeah… you should learn more about this before you type this many words
After watching this, I'm thinking that Dylan needs to raise the price on his entry-level model...
Please no music while talking in future videos !
Just lower the volume a bit. No need to get rid of music.
Very interesting content...but I wish it didn't have the music running through it. Very distracting. Aren't most people watching your vids for the valuable information? I know I am.
Excellent video is all people see is the cheap crap coming out of China, they don’t understand or care about the actual cost not only parts wood time etc it’s also tools electricty wear and tear insurance etc.
You dont build shit! You assemble! Custom assembly = horseshit!
We actually build quite a few custom guitars from scratch every year. About 20.
Dylan. STOP biting your fingernails......it's obvious and gross.